True Blood star Kristin Bauer has just launched a petition to protect chimpanzees in captivity.

She is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serivce to provide protection specifically to chimps being used in research.

She said:

"I’ve always been fascinated by the incredible intelligence and rich, complex social lives of chimpanzees. It would be shameful to see them go extinct in the wild as we continue to exploit them here in the U.S. in invasive experiments, entertainment and as pets."

Her petition is at 1,389 of 1,500 and is hopefully going to get much more than that.

The petition stated:

"Chimpanzees have been recognized as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1990, but only wild chimpanzees are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Captive chimpanzees in the U.S. used in painful experiments, entertainment and kept as pets don’t get any of the protections given to chimpanzees in the wild.

Studies have shown that when people see chimpanzees used in commercials and interacting with people in the media, it leads them to believe that chimpanzees not only make good pets, but that they aren’t even endangered."